S. Korea stages defense drills near Dokdo for 1st time this year

Pochean, South Korea, August 6 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- U.S. Marines orchestrated a live-fire exercise on Wednesday at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, marking their first use of FPV drones in such a scenario on the Korean Peninsula. The 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment carried out six strikes using FPV drones, all successfully hitting makeshift barracks targets located 900 meters away.

FPV drones, highly potent weapons showcased in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, are controlled from the ground via goggles and employ a 'hit-to-kill' method by crashing into targets. These drones can be equipped with anti-armor, anti-materiel, or anti-personnel payloads based on mission objectives. Col. Peter Ankeny, deputy commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea, emphasized the significance of these drills in enhancing combined readiness on the Korean Peninsula and highlighting these capabilities in terrain where U.S. Marines might be deployed.

The Neros Archer FPV drone boasts a 25-kilometer maximum range, a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour, and a payload capacity of up to 3 kilograms, capable of penetrating 100mm of conventional tank armor. The exercise involved the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, forward-deployed to the Indo-Pacific under the Unit Deployment Program, with footage of the live-fire range captured in real-time by the U.S. Air Force's Skydio drone.

The drills were coordinated with the South Korean Army's 5th Corps, aiming to showcase the strong combined defense posture between the allies amid the intense heat experienced during the exercise. KMEP, a bilateral exercise, focuses on integrating aviation and ground assets to boost the combat readiness of both U.S. and South Korean Marines.